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A legacy fan of the Madden sports game franchise made a disturbing discovery: In its latest version, Madden NFL 17, the evening sun is in the east, the absolute wrong side for it to set anywhere on planet Earth. It only happens during games set in Los Angeles at the Memorial Coliseum, which is the Rams' home stadium once again. Thus, the case is either an isolated aberration or a sly dig at how upside-down crazy it is that the team came back to Southern California after leaving it for St. Louis, Missouri 21 years ago.

ESPN is increasing its eSports coverage in a big way. The network will be airing 18 hours of eSports programming on ESPN2 and ESPNU on Sunday, July 17th. This will mark the first time ESPN will air an entire eSports block on its major networks, a far cry from the days when it relegated League of Legends matches to streams on the web.

Nearly eight years after Jim Brown sued EA over the use of his likeness in Madden 09, the two parties are finally settling the case. According to Hagens Berman, the law firm that represents the legendary NFL running back, Brown, 80, will receive a $600,000 compensation from the video game maker in exchange for a dismissal and release of his claims. Back in 2008 the former Cleveland Browns player said EA had asked to feature him in the popular football franchise, but he declined the request.

While their deal with League of Legends may have been a pipe dream, ESPN is expanding their eSports coverage to something a little closer to the roots of the "Worldwide Leader in Sports." On June 14th from 6–7:30 PM ET, ESPN2 will televise live coverage of EA's Madden NFL 16 Championship series for the first time ever.

Today, video game juggernaut Electronic Arts kicked off this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo with a show all its own. If you weren't a member of the press or one of the lucky few fans that were let into the event to experience it firsthand, don't worry: We've collected all the trailers that made their debut on The Novo theater's stage and put them in one handy spot for you. Want a look at the new multiplayer trailer for October's Titanfall 2? Look no further. How about FIFA 17's intriguing single-player story mode? We've got your back there as well, with a few other bits like a new glimpse at Battlefield 1's World War I action. Join us below, won't you?

Electronic Arts, the studio responsible for Star Wars: Battlefront, SimCity and the Battlefield franchise, has launched a new Competitive Gaming Division led by former COO and EA Sports President Peter Moore. The goal of the new business is to cultivate eSports opportunities within EA's library, most notably in the Battlefield, Madden NFL and FIFA franchises. EA's CGD will develop live events and broadcasting featuring eSports, plus create new, officially branded competitive experiences, CEO Andrew Wilson says in a blog post.

Perhaps more than any other retailer, Gamestop has serious clout when it comes to selling video games. The retail chain makes money hand over fist on game trade-ins and the resulting used game sales, and in an effort to protect that, it's made an edict that it'll only sell bundles that include a physical disc rather than a download code. In a shareholders call (PDF), chief operating officer Tony Bartel specifically cited the current Madden '16 Xbox One bundle. Rather than carrying the official deal, the company worked to offer a free physical copy of the annual football title with the purchase of a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, refusing to stock the digital bundle at all.

Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.

Don't worry about trying to secure a ticket to New York Fashion Week. In September 2014, 2.6 million people livestreamed the festivities rather than making the trip to the Big Apple. And the best part? The runway shows are available for free through the NYFW app on iOS and Android.

Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.

If you've ever played a Madden title, at some point, you've questioned how player ratings are compiled. Heck, players are even critical of their own scores. Well, the stats experts over at FiveThirtyEight dive deep on the matter, offering a load of background information and a method for compiling and grading your own abilities... or lack thereof.

Pundits schmundits. Give us a console and an annually rehashed sports game series and we'll do the rest. Possibly. EA's Super Bowl simulation, which ran on Madden 15last week, pegged the New England Patriots to win, coming from behind to clinch it 28-24 against the Seattle Seahawks. Which is exactly what happened in real life last night, with the Patriots trailing in same third quarter. While this year's prediction might be particularly uncanny, Madden has now picked the winner in eight out of the last 10 Super Bowls. However, some may still prefer the shock and awe of Breaking Madden in comparison to more straight-laced sims.

Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.

Unless you took a week off from the internet, you're well aware that this year's Oscar nominations were announced a few days ago. While Selma did earn nominations for Best Picture and Best Song, the film that depicts Martin Luther King Jr.'s marches from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery in 1965 was mentioned only twice. Grantland's Mark Harris takes a closer look at the full list to see what other categories should've included Ava DuVernay's picture.

A federal appeals court struck down Electronic Arts' appeal to dismiss a 2010 lawsuit in which retired NFL players alleged that the publisher used their likenesses without permission in Madden NFL 09. A three-judge panel unanimously declined EA's motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds of First Amendment protections under "incidental use." Madden 09 included over 140 historic NFL teams as well as the stats and positions of thousands of retired athletes to celebrate the series' 20th anniversary, and EA allegedly altered jersey numbers and removed the players' names to avoid paying licensing fees, according to the August 2010 lawsuit.

The judges referred to another recent likeness lawsuit in the opinion, in which former college athletes sued EA in May 2009 over the use of their likenesses in NCAA Basketball and NCAA Football games. EA proposed a $40 million settlement to that lawsuit in September 2013, resulting in those players earning up to $951 for each year their likeness was featured in the games. The publisher added $8 million in expenses related to that lawsuit in May 2014.

EA introduced similar First Amendment-based defenses in its appeal for the retired NFL players lawsuit save for one additional argument: That the likenesses were protected under the First Amendment as incidental use. The judges "held that Electronic Arts's use of the former players' likenesses was not incidental because it was central to Electronic Arts's main commercial purpose: to create a realistic virtual simulation of football games involving current and former National Football League teams." The decision upholds a California court's March 2012 dismissal of EA's attempt to prevent the suit from going to court. Among the plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit is Sam Keller, a former Arizona State, Nebraska and Oakland Raiders quarterback that filed the original likeness lawsuit related to the publisher's college sports games.

After another video of an incident between he and his then-fiancée surfaced Monday, the Baltimore Ravens cut star running back Ray Rice. Now, he'll be removed from Madden NFL 15, too. EA Sports has confirmed that it plans to nix Rice from the Ravens depth chart with a pending update, and that the player won't be available as a free agent either. "With Ray Rice's indefinite suspension from the NFL, he will be removed from Madden NFL 15," EA told us in a statement. "This roster change will take place by this Friday." Rice had already been suspended by the NFL for two games based on footage that surfaced over the summer showing him dragging an unconscious woman from a hotel elevator. The latest revelation from TMZ (warning: graphic) showed him punching his now wife during the altercation in Atlantic City. This has become common practice for EA as it removed Aaron Hernandez from Madden NFL 25 and NCAA 14 last summer following his arrest for first-degree murder. Nike has also nixed Rice's endorsement deal, and the Ravens are allowing fans to return jerseys to the team's stores.

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice will be removed from Madden NFL 15 in this week's update, EA Sports confirmed with Joystiq. The change will be part of the game's next roster update, which "will take place by this Friday," the publisher said.

Rice was cut by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the NFL after a video of his domestic violence act from February surfaced on TMZ. The league previously suspended Rice for two games for the incident, and as a result of the suspension, current rosters in Madden 15 have him fourth in the depth chart order for Ravens running backs. It's not the first time EA has adjusted its sports game rosters following an athlete's criminal act; former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was removed from NCAA 14 and Madden NFL 25 in July 2013 after being charged with murder.

Glitches can create some of the most interesting moments in the games we play. Case in point: Cleveland Browns linebacker Christian Kirksey's appearance in Madden 15. Coming in at just more than a single foot tall, Kirksey's glitched height has earned him the nickname "Tiny Titan."

At first, the sight of an NFL player barely taller than the length of an actual football was just funny. Then, EA made him part of a Madden Ultimate Team solo challenge. Now, a video featuring the real Kirksey (who as far as we know, is not actually 14 inches tall) as well as a Tom Rinaldi voice impersonator give us a brief glimpse into the life of this pint-size phenom. You can check it out after the break.

By now, you might have heard of Tiny Titan, one of the more adorable glitches to pop up recently in the Madden NFL series. The little sprout of a linebacker has the heart of a champion, but also has troubles fielding kick-offs and tackling runners. Rather than ignore the glitch entirely, EA Sports opted to turn Tiny Titan into a Madden Ultimate Team solo challenge in Madden 15.

Those that log in to the card-collecting, team-building mode this weekend can play against a special Browns squad on rookie difficulty with the miniature phenom leading the defense. We'd say he bites on play action passes, but it's really more of a nibble. Beating the challenge gives players a Tiny Titan collectible item that can be sold for 1,000 coins, if you don't have any kindness left in your soul.

The NFL regular season kicks off tonight, and to make sure you're properly amped for the week's action, EA has teamed up with Google for some GIF-based smack talk. The Madden GIFERATOR allows you to pick your favorite team, a star player, their environment, add some text and the software does the rest. From there, sharing is a breeze, and you can peruse creations for any franchise or by schedule from week to week. If you're itchin' to give it a go, you can do just that right here.

If you've ever wondered how video game studios transform real-life people into their multi-pixeled personas, here's one method. SB Nation'sSarah Kogod recently made the trip to Baltimore where EA was set to capture facial images from the Ravens' players for Madden NFL 15. There, she encountered the developers new "mobile" rig that leverages a dozen DSLRs situated in two rows of six each in order to snap all of the close-up details. The frame is part TV stand and part wheel chair lift that allows the entire thing to be positioned just so from a connected laptop. In fact, three teams, each outfitted with one of the multi-camera rigs, set out this summer to capture player images from all 32 NFL teams during OTAs and training camp. Before now, artists have had to work from stock photos in order to create a player's virtual counterpart, and accuracy suffered. The folks at EA say that as games become increasingly more life-like, that gamers notice "any blemish that's off... people catch that."

We're just one day away from the launch of Madden NFL 15. Normally that means you'd have some splashy launch trailer or crazy commercial starring comedians to watch. Not today! Welcome to the modern era of video games, where your "select" buttons now read "share," and your launch trailers are now GIFs of 400-pound running backs leaping over other people.

Trust us, it's better this way. Check out the double-fumble-safety that happened to us in the video after the break, as well as our gallery of totally-moving pictures of the game below. Our captions also explain some of the improvements in this year's Madden, including "overhauled" controls on defense and the football strategy drills in the Skills Trainer mode.

Just days ago at Gamescom, Microsoft announced that game pre-loading was coming to the Xbox One in September alongside for nabbing Forza Horizon 2 and FIFA 15in advance of their arrival. It seems that the new feature has gone live a bit early though, as Madden NFL 15is currently available for download ahead of its launch at the end of the month. Forking over the requisite $60 now will allow you to outfit your console with the title, so you'll be able to open the playbook immediately on August 26th. This also means that the Xbox faithful are now privy to the pre-loading option that PC and PS4 gamers have enjoyed for some time now.

EA Sports will bring its playcalling and analysis app, CoachGlass, to the PS4 version of Madden 15. The second-screen features for Madden 25 will be marginally enhanced this year, offering players charts that quickly display their opponent's tendencies on either side of the ball, such as blitzing percentages and the amount of run, pass and option plays the opposing team tends to call. Additionally, players will be able to call offensive plays and use their timeouts from the app.

The initial concepts for CoachGlass were briefly shown during a trailer for Microsoft's SmartGlass app during its E3 2012 press conference. EA bypassed SmartGlass features for Madden 13 that year before introducing CoachGlass for Xbox One players in last year's game. Given that EA Tiburon only noted that CoachGlass will be available for PS4 and Xbox One players this year, it seems those with Xbox 360 and PS3 copies of the game won't be able to use the app. Madden 15 will launch next Tuesday, August 26.

Thanks to EA's all-you-can-game subscription, early access to Madden 15 for those who fork over $5 per month is the closest thing the gridiron faithful will get to a demo this year. On top of that, gameplay for early access to the full title is capped at six hours according to the gaming service's Twitter account. In the past, there hasn't been a time limit for demos, but players were limited to options like one quarter of action at a time, and sometimes with a couple of pre-selected teams. Of course, EA Access is only available on Xbox One, so the PS4 faithful will have to wait until launch day for kickoff.

The start of the NFL season and launch of Madden NFL 15 is just around the corner, which means we're in the midst of the really weird part of the football offseason. Fans are desperate for anything new on Johnny Manziel and Madden players are clamoring for the last scraps of details for the game they'll be pouring hundreds of hours into.

That restlessness must have seeped into EA Sports' headquarters, as the publisher just kicked off an ad campaign that stars comedian Kevin Hart and "Neighbors" actor Dave Franco. The three-minute commercial features cameos from NFL players like 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and Broncos linebacker Von Miller, in which the players sputter "blah blah blah" for a good 15 seconds.
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There won't be a freely available demo of Madden NFL 15 for players to download this year, an EA rep has confirmed to Joystiq. The publisher made a habit of offering a downloadable demo for its annual pro football series since December 2005, when it launched the demo for Madden NFL 2006. A demo for the game will reportedly be available only to Xbox One owners that also subscribe to EA Access, according to an EA representative that spoke with Polygon.

The publisher revealed EA Access in late July as an Xbox One subscription service offering full access to its games for $5 per month (or $30 per year). EA Access members also have the opportunity to play major EA releases on a limited basis up to five days before the game's launch. Madden 15 will launch August 26 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3 and will include strategy tutorials in its Skills Trainer mode, an "overhaul" to its defensive mechanics as well as the addition of player confidence in its franchise mode.

EA Sports introduced its changes to Connected Franchise mode in Madden NFL 15 this week, which includes the replacement of the the series' hot/cold streak system with "game prep" and "confidence." The team-management mode now has players preparing their teams with individual position drills and activities to boost experience points and influence a dynamic confidence rating. The confidence rating fluctuates throughout the season with the highs and lows of athletes' performances. It also changes with trades, team wins and losses, and even more with blowout victories and defeats, impacting other key ratings along with it.

Additionally, Madden 15's Connected Franchise mode will include a tweaked free agency system in which available athletes will take factors like a team's needs, scheme and coaching ability into account when deciding where to take their career. It will also include entirely random draft classes for a change, with randomized names, ratings and traits for all incoming rookies. That marks a departure from previous franchise draft classes that had guaranteed-to-appear stars, such as Madden 11's Aspha Savage and K.C. Williams or Madden 25's Leon Sandcastle (yes, that Leon Sandcastle).